Rebel Wilson Felt She Needed to Gain Weight to Succeed as a Comedic Actress in Hollywood

Culture

In trying to become a successful comedic actress, Rebel Wilson, who's known for her role as Fat Amy in Pitch Perfect, realized that gaining more weight correlated to also gaining more laughs, according to an interview with the Telegraph.  

It first hit Wilson when she and another girl she cast, who was bigger, were onstage performing Guys and Dolls. Wilson recalled the other actress "getting a lot of laughs, a lot easier" but didn't think there was a difference in talent or anything else. "And then, I don't know if it was mega-conscious but I thought, 'How can I get more laughs? Maybe if I was a bit fatter,'" she said. "And then suddenly I was fatter, and doing comedy."

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Although Wilson's experience doesn't follow the societal beauty standards that we're used to, it's still an example of conforming one's appearance to others' ideals. However, that's not discounting the fact that sometimes Wilson is still one of the few to make much-needed statements for plus-size actresses in Hollywood. 

"I saw my size as being an advantage," she added. "Whereas so many women see it as a disadvantage." 

According to Wilson, a hormonal imbalance makes her quickly gain weight. Wilson, who previously played tennis, said that she could do a "total transformation" in six months.

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